How to Overcome The Fear Of Driving

Vero Shiko
3 min readJan 5, 2021

It’s easy to imagine how a big car crash would make someone dread driving, but most driving phobias have little to do with crashes.

Image Credit: Getty Images

Here’s a rundown of the top five driving fears:

Bad driving history

Car crashes are the most common unpleasant driving experience; they may be the most terrible, but there are others. Driving into a bad storm, being a perpetrator of road rage, failing, or getting a panic attack can all be stressful. You can replay the event in your head and fear it’s going to happen again. Repeated thoughts and fears can cause a person to stop driving, just to make anxiety worse.

Driving beyond the comfort zone… unaccompanied

For some hobby-driving, driving to a popular place is not a big deal. But give them directions to a new place, near or far, and their anxiety passes through the sunroof.

What if I get lost, huh? What if the petrol is running out of my car? What if my mobile phone doesn’t get a reception? What happens if I can’t find a parking spot?

It’s not just the fear that something bad is going to happen, it’s the fear that something bad is going to happen in an unknown place, far from home, and no one is going to be there to help.

Fear of signs of anxiety and getting stuck

Getting caught in traffic is an irritant that no one enjoys, but if you’re scared of panic attacks, traffic can be a terrific experience. People with a history of panic attacks prefer to avoid circumstances where they can’t get out easily, like the freeways and the left lanes.

What if I’m caught in traffic and having a panic attack!

Anxiety is aimed at certain organs of the body. Although others may experience pulse pounding and trouble breathing, some may experience diarrhea, lightheadedness or nausea. The very idea of getting these signs and being trapped in traffic leads to more frustration and more prevention.

Fear of going too soon and losing balance

Feeling the indignation of other drivers for going too far on the highway, there’s tension to hurry up, but your mind and body won’t let you down. Clinching the steering wheel for your precious life, your pulse pounds and your body sweats

Out of balance, physical signs of fear make it difficult to allow yourself to drive safely.

And if it takes longer to arrive at your destination, the risk of losing control and swerving into another lane is enough to make you travel on surface roads.

Fear of the Death

The basis of all fear is the exaggeration of risk and the underestimation of one’s ability. Fearful drivers may not trust their own abilities or lack the confidence of others. Any way, they have constantly imagined the worst. The active imagination of driving phobias will result in the most gruesome car accidents… in their minds. You don’t have to be a survivor of a recent car crash to think you’re in one.

According to aDriving identifying your particular fear from the above list is the first step.

Then note down all the factors why you want to transcend fear — why it’s so necessary. Overcoming any anxiety suggests that you have to confront it, which takes a lot of motivation.

A psychologist will help you cope with the emotions that trigger your physical effects and teach you the ability to relax your body and ease your mind. The psychiatrist can also clarify the mentality needed for an anxiety to be faced.

Fear of driving, from personal to technical, influences all facets of one’s life. Overcoming this type of anxiety with a trained specialist, it’s going to take work and determination, but in the end, it’s worth it!

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Vero Shiko

Vero Shiko is a serial entrepreneur who has founded multiple successful businesses in the field of writing, content marketing, web design and also SEO.